Shell to build T25 city car with Gordon Murray

Remember the T25 city car first shown in 2010? The brainchild of McLaren F1 design Gordon Murray, it was designed to revolutionise the way city cars functioned and were manufactured – and the project has been given a new lease of life thanks to oil giant Shell.

In collaboration with Murray and ex Honda F1 engine designer Osamu Goto, Shell has revealed plans to build an ‘ultra-compact, efficient car for city use based around the internal combustion engine’. As shown in Shell’s engineering drawing, it will stick with the T25’s three-seater, rear-engined layout make use of Murray’s innovative iStream manufacturing process where composite panels are bonded directly to a steel frame.

Codenamed ProjectM for the time being, a concept car will be unveiled in November 2015, followed by on-road testing to assess the design. Although there are no immediate plans to put it into full production, a spokesman revealed that the ultimate ambition would be to sell the car in emerging markets, such as India, offering low-cost, efficient transport for the masses.

Shell’s main contribution will be to develop a low-friction lubricant for the car, which it claims can cut fuel consumption by up to 6.5 per cent. Project M will be launched at the Americas round of the Shell Eco-marathon in Detroit on 9-12 April, although the finished product won’t be shown until November.